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The Fifth Republic at fifty : the changing face of French politics and political economy

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Clift, Ben (2008) The Fifth Republic at fifty : the changing face of French politics and political economy. Modern and Contemporary France, Vol.16 (No.4). pp. 383-398. ISSN 0963-9489

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Official URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/09639480802413322

Abstract

At its inception, a time of great political upheaval in France, it was uncertain whether the new regime would last five years, let alone fifty. The longevity of the regime is due in part to its flexibility and adaptability, which is a theme explored both below and in all of the contributions to this special issue. To set the scene, this will briefly elucidate some of the elements of the constitutional settlement of 1958 which have had an important bearing on its subsequent evolution. The rich and varied texture of French Republicanism makes it in one commentator’s eyes at once ‘the least precise and most evoked concept in the French political lexicon’ (Hayward 2007: 343). The Fifth Republic’s institutions and practices bore the imprint of a diverse amalgam of constitutional norms and political practices, each relating to the French Republican tradition; Rousseauian notions of general will, plebiscitary Bonapartism, parliamentarism, Jacobinism, dirigisme and Republican notions of universalism and egalitarianism. This special issue explores some of the interesting patterns and dynamics of change and continuity in relation to each of these aspects of the French Republic tradition over the last 50 years. As is fitting on such an anniversary, each contribution will offer a brief historical overview of the issue area and to look at the similarities and differences between the contemporary period and 50 years ago.

Item Type:	Journal Item
Subjects:	D History General and Old World > DC France
Divisions:	Faculty of Social Sciences > Politics and International Studies
Library of Congress Subject Headings (LCSH):	France -- History -- 1958-, France -- Politics and government -- 1958-
Journal or Publication Title:	Modern and Contemporary France
Publisher:	Routledge
ISSN:	0963-9489
Date:	2008
Volume:	Vol.16
Number:	No.4
Number of Pages:	16
Page Range:	pp. 383-398
Identification Number:	10.1080/09639480802413322
Status:	Peer Reviewed
Publication Status:	Published
Access rights to Published version:	Restricted or Subscription Access
Description:	Journal Special Issue: The Fifth Republic at Fifty was also edited by the author
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URI:	http://wrap.warwick.ac.uk/id/eprint/28513